Pay attention to this vegetable that is in season in spring. Some people have been hospitalized after eating it.

Spring is here in season, and the Chinese toon sprouts in April are the most delicious, whether eaten cold or stir-fried.

For many people, eating Chinese toon is like "keeping up with the trend", but when the dish becomes popular, so does "controversy".

An elderly man was poisoned after eating scrambled eggs with Chinese toon, and nearly lost his life due to multiple organ failure!!!

The 75-year-old man picked half a pound of Chinese toon to make Chinese toon scrambled eggs, and ate four-fifths of it in one go, causing nitrite poisoning.

The question is, is Chinese toon poisonous? Can it still be eaten?

Is Chinese toon poisonous? Can it be eaten? Chinese toon does contain a certain amount of nitrite, which is a common way for plants to metabolize the element "nitrogen".

Studies have shown that the nitrite content of Chinese toon is approximately between 1.475 - 2.778μg/g at different growth stages.

The Joint FAO/WHO Expert Committee on Food Additives (JECFA) has assessed the acceptable daily intake of nitrite to be 0 - 0.07 mg/kg body weight.

It is estimated that an adult weighing 60kg would need to consume about 1.5kg of toon to cause poisoning.

Therefore, eating toon normally will not cause nitrite poisoning, let alone cancer.

If that’s the case, how come the old man who only ate 200g of toon ended up in the hospital?

It turns out that in addition to nitrite, Chinese toon also contains a certain amount of nitrate.

After consuming a large amount of toon, nitrates may be reduced to nitrites by bacteria in the gastrointestinal tract. In addition, the digestive ability of the elderly is generally weak, so they are admitted to the hospital due to individual differences.

Safe way to eat Chinese toon When it comes to nitrates, we have to mention pickled Chinese toon.

Many friends in the north pickle Chinese toon, and they simply wash it with cold water before pickling. This will leave harmful bacteria and promote the reduction of nitrates to nitrites, so the risk of nitrates being reduced to nitrites during the pickling process is greater.

It seems that eating Chinese toon is also very particular, it is safe to eat it like this:

1. Selection is important

The nitrate and nitrite content of Chinese toon in different periods is different.

Don't rush to pick and eat the newly grown ones. The nitrite content of the buds and leaves in the middle growth period will be relatively low, and the nitrite content of the leaves in the later period will be relatively high.

It will rise again and the taste will not be good.

Therefore, when buying Chinese toon, try to choose those with purple leaves as they are tenderer, while those with green leaves are a bit old.

2. Blanch the food before eating

Blanching and boiling can reduce nitrite to a great extent and also reduce the activity of nitrate reductase.

If you want to eat pickled Chinese toon pickles, you can blanch them in water before pickling.

Dad’s review says that Chinese toon has a peculiar taste. People who like it say it is “the taste of spring”; people who hate it say it is “stinky”.

This is mainly due to the special volatile substances in the buds and leaves, such as ethanol and organic sulfides.

As the saying goes, before the rain the buds of Camellia sinensis are as tender as silk, but after the rain the buds of Camellia sinensis become woody.

Friends who love toon and want to try it should do so early, because after the Grain Rain season, the taste will be greatly reduced.

I still remember that at this time last year, it cost 100 yuan per catty to buy some fresh toon, but this year the price has dropped to 20-50 yuan.

Although "Toon Freedom" has been achieved, you still need to be careful when eating it~